Posted Tuesday, February 11, 2020 9:45 am
By Kristina Kaldenbach
A commitment to serving the community through fundraising and service is a core value for Life Care Centers of America. Life Care continued representing that core value throughout 2019 with participation in existing fundraising partnerships and implementation of new, creative fundraising strategies.
On March 30, associates from Life Care’s corporate office in Cleveland kicked off their fundraising efforts by participating in the 19th annual Great Strides Walk and 17th annual 65 Roses 5K. Great Strides is a national event for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Its purpose is to one day find a cure for the disease. Life Care raised $4,423 for the foundation through dress-down days and its involvement in the walk.
Life Care associates then participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life on May 11. With a special carnival theme in search for “The Greatest Cure on Earth,” the event had a very family-friendly focus and was one of the biggest Relays ever in Bradley County. About $10,750 was raised by the Life Care team in the fight against cancer.
Life Care once again took part in the United Way Day of Action in 2019. This event was created to help local nonprofits complete needed projects that staff might not have the time or staffing to get to. On July 19, about 40 volunteers from Life Care donated their time to local nonprofits such as The Caring Place, Girls on the Run and Hand and Feet Ministries.
In the middle of the summer heat, 10 Life Care associates from the corporate office offered up their time and sweat to support Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland, a new partnership for Life Care in 2019. On July 26, the group participated in Habitat for Humanity’s first Leaders Build – it’s 138th home in the community. A few days after the build, Life Care hosted a breakfast in honor of the new homeowner, Victor Headrick. This allowed the volunteer builders a chance to get to know Headrick and learn more about his story.
On Oct. 5, a Life Care team took to the Cleveland Greenway to participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, an annual fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association. The fight to end Alzheimer’s disease is another cause that remains at the forefront of Life Care’s fundraising efforts. The corporate team raised more than $13,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association, and Life Care’s National Team raised more than $147,000 total.
Life Care hosts a mobile blood drive twice a year, once in May and then again in September, as well as participates in the annual community drive during New Year’s week. 2019 was no different with each blood drive benefiting the local Blood Assurance. Blood Assurance is the exclusive supplier for more than 30 hospitals and 17 facilities in 22 Tennessee counties, as well as some in North Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. Since 2003, Life Care has held 50 blood drives and donated 1,612 units of blood.
After the huge success of 2018’s water-collecting campaign for World Kindness Day, the Wellness Committee at Life Care encouraged its facilities nationwide to participate again in November 2019. Facilities were challenged to collect as much water as possible and donate to a local charity of their choice. The facilities really took on this challenge and did not disappoint. Life Care Center of Cleveland collected 12,979.20 ounces of water donating it to United Way. The Life Care corporate office ended up collecting 33,539 ounces of water and donating it to the Cleveland Food Bank. Life Care associates around the nation collected a grand total of 2,238,198 ounces of water and donating it to local charities.
Since 2013, Life Care has been partnering with the Salvation Army of Cleveland for the Angel Tree community project. Each year Life Care associates adopt 100 angels: 75 children and 25 seniors. Life Care meets 100 percent of every “need” that is requested and about 95 percent of every “wish” requested by each angel. Additionally, in 2019, associates recycled cans from every kitchen to raise money for the Angel Tree. For the first year of recycling, about $100 was collected from the can drive to go toward meeting the needs of the angels.
“I am so proud of our associates’ hearts for serving and giving,” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care’s president. “Our mission and values statement proclaims that we are to be good citizens of our community, and our associates prove it by their personal participation in important causes, and the dollars they give.”
